


A Dare & A Date

by JHsgf82



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JHsgf82/pseuds/JHsgf82
Summary: Modern AU.  Katniss is dared by her friends to watch a horror movie in the theater alone (and she hates them!).  Little does she know she'll come home with far more than a movie ticket stub as proof of her evening.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 79





	A Dare & A Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MegaAuLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaAuLover/gifts).



> Author’s Note: Happy Birthday, @mega-aulover! You asked for a meet-cute, and this is what popped into my head. I hope you enjoy it!

It was a well-known fact that Katniss Everdeen hated horror movies. Well-known, at least, among her circle of friends. She didn’t care for violence, either, especially if there was blood‒she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. What was worse, her little sister, Primrose, was studying to become a doctor and was always sharing way too much information from her medical textbooks, not to mention the full recount she’d given her the other day of working on a cadaver. It made Katniss want to barf.

Knowing all this, her friends, being the jerks they could be at times, had dared Katniss to watch a horror movie in the theater, alone. And not just any horror movie, but the hottest, scariest one out right now, supposedly chock-full of gore and intense sequences of ‘juicy violence’ as Johanna Mason, more enemy than friend at times, termed it. Katniss didn’t want to do it, but she also didn’t want to deal with Johanna and Madge’s relentless teasing. Honestly, why did she put up with them? Okay, so they did have their virtues.

The deal was, Katniss had to watch the movie, bring back her ticket stub, and give a full recap of it for verification purposes. She wasn’t allowed to read anything about it online. Madge sweetened the deal by offering money, and reluctantly, Katniss agreed.

When she left for the theater that night, little did she know she’d come back with far more than a movie ticket stub…

* * *

Katniss arrived at the cinema early so as to find a good seat and mentally prepare herself. She avoided popcorn, not wanting to fill her stomach with buttery, salty junk that would set like a rock in her gut and only add to her up-chuck reflex, but she did get a drink (a small one), and she made sure to pee first. Not that she minded slipping out and missing 10 minutes or so of the movie for a bathroom break, but if she was gonna do this, she was gonna commit. Katniss Everdeen did not shy away from a challenge.

She found a seat toward the back in a mostly unoccupied row, but it quickly began filling up. Fortunately, the seats on either side of her were empty. Not for long. She’d just taken a sip of her Diet Coke when she heard a male voice.

“Excuse me, is someone sitting here?”

 _Crap_.

“Uh…”

Katniss looked up to see a stocky, handsome guy staring down at her. The room had darkened, but not completely, and so, she was able to make out most of his features. He had blond, wavy hair and blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a muscular torso.

She swallowed down the lump that’d suddenly lodged in her throat. “…No,” she croaked, shifting in her seat. She grabbed her coat and moved it to the empty chair on the other side of her.

Great. There went her buffer. Now she’d be knocking arms with a strange guy all night long because of the stupid, entirely too small shared armrests.

“Thank you,” the guy said, settling into the plush, red chair. He was rather large, but at least he was polite enough to try not to bump her when he sat down.

“You’re welcome,” Katniss muttered, focusing on the screen.

“I’m Peeta,” the guy said, turning toward her.

Apparently, he wasn’t one of those types who could sit next to a person without talking to them.

“Katniss,” she bluntly replied.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

Thankfully, the screen lit up just then, and the speakers boomed with the sound of the voice-over guy who announces it’s time to silence your cell phones. And then the eerie music began.

Well, if this wasn’t just adding insult to injury. Now she had to sit through trailers of other horror and bloody action movies, in addition to the one she was about to watch. Maybe making awkward small talk with this Peeta guy would be preferable.

Katniss jumped a little when a disgusting-looking spectre suddenly popped up on the screen, accompanied by a piercing shriek. Why did it have to be so loud, anyway? She turned her head, only to see Peeta looking at her. He pressed his lips together in a sympathetic smile.

“Not a horror fan?”

She shook her head.

“What brings you here alone, then?” he asked.

Ugh. Was he really going to ask questions? Oh well. At least he was a welcome diversion from the screen.

“It was a dare. A bet,” she informed.

“Really?” He dragged out the ‘e’ in really, obviously amused by that.

“Yeah.”

Peeta chuckled. “I hope you’re paid well because this is supposed to be pretty intense.”

“Don’t remind me.” She squeezed the armrest in anticipation. He gave that little laugh again.

“What about you?” she asked. He cocked his head curiously. “Why are you here alone?”

“Oh, well, I’ve been wanting to see this, but I’ve been busy. By the time I was free, my friends had already seen it, or they were too busy with their girlfriends to go with me.”

“I see.” They both turned back to the screen.

There was a girl covered in blood on the screen now, so Katniss fixed her eyes on the side of Peeta’s head. His blues flickered toward her. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

Not long after, the actual movie began. It started off tame, aside from the ridiculously sinister music in the background, which was actually a good indicator of when something was coming‒when it got louder. That was her cue to look away. And she kept looking at Peeta.

Even though he was a stranger, his presence beside her was soothing. He seemed so kind and genuine, his smiles so reassuring. And his scent…like sweet spices and bread dough. He smelled like the house did around the holidays when Prim went on a cookie baking spree, that, mixed with a subtle hint of cologne, giving him a fresh, manly, after-the-rain kind of scent.

The first time blood was shed, Katniss cringed and snapped her head toward Peeta, screwing her eyes shut.

“Don’t worry, Katniss,” he whispered, his breath warming the shell of her ear and causing a strangely pleasant shiver. “It’s not real.”

Rather than resort to the very called-for 90s colloquialism ‘Duh!’ she asked that he simply tell her when it was over.

“Okay,” Peeta agreed. He stopped talking for a moment. “But you know, real blood isn’t so bright red, and it wouldn’t gush like that.”

Katniss shuddered. She didn’t even like hearing the ‘b’ word, especially not combined with ‘gush.’

“What, are you a doctor or something?” she asked, holding up a hand to block what was happening on screen.

“No, EMT.”

She nodded slowly. Definitely not a job she could do.

“Why an EMT?” she asked, trying to distract herself.

“Well, I wanted to help people, but becoming a doctor takes so long and is so expensive, and really, EMTs save people as much as doctors do. They do more of the dirty work; they just don’t get quite so much credit.”

“My sister’s going to be a doctor,” Katniss said.

“Oh, that’s great. I didn’t mean any offense…”

“None taken. You’re right that doctors are more glorified than other medical professionals.”

Peeta smiled at her, then changed the subject back. “You know how they create the bl‒” As soon as she raised her hands to her ears, Peeta stopped short. “The stuff?”

She shook her head.

“It’s usually a mixture of red food coloring, corn syrup, and non-dairy creamer, occasionally other materials. You know, in Psycho, they actually used Bosco Chocolate Syrup. They got away with it because it was black-and-white, of course. So, if you think about it…the stuff you’re seeing on screen is more of a recipe than something to be grossed out by.”

Smirking, Katniss shook her head. Who was this guy? He was a little goofy but charming, and his crazy ramblings were actually doing the trick to distract her. She may not be able to fully recap the movie to her friends, but if he kept this up, she just might make it through without vomiting. At least she’d be able to tell them all about movie _stuff_.

She and Peeta continued to whisper to one another during the movie, and Katniss discovered that not only was Peeta pleasant to talk to, but she was also quite attracted to him. She didn’t mind when their arms brushed; in fact, she relished it. Each little touch was exhilarating. She even found herself sneaking glances at him when the screen lit up and she could see his handsome features more clearly.

But then she heard it. A loud, snap-crunch.

Katniss groaned and swallowed down the rising bile. In desperation, she looked at Peeta.

Still fixated on the screen, he shook his head. “The guy’s leg wouldn’t snap like that, no way.”

“Peeta, please! You’re not helping,” she hissed.

“Sorry.” He chuckled lowly, and the sound simultaneously chilled and warmed her. But she still felt sickened by that sound. He turned to look at her. “Just look at me during this scene.”

She did so. And normally that would work, but the sounds were far too gruesome. “I can still hear it,” she squeaked.

“Talk to me,” he urged.

“But you’re watching the movie…”

“It’s okay. It’s not living up to the hype. You, on the other hand…” He stared into her eyes, his lips curled up in an affectionate smile. “Well, I’m sure no possible build-up could have done you justice…”

Katniss’s lips parted, and she shifted in her seat at the sudden warmth swirling around inside.

“Pretend we’re old friends,” he said, not lingering on his compliment.

“I’m not good at being friends,” she admitted.

“I highly doubt that.”

She smiled faintly. “Or talking.”

“Then just listen. I’ll talk to you. What would you like to talk about? What do you like?” He grinned at her. “Flowers? Puppies? Chocolate?”

“How cliché.”

“Sorry. What, then?”

“Hunting.”

Peeta’s eyes widened a tick. He brought his hand up to stroke his chin curiously. “Are you telling me, miss, that you can hunt, but movie gore makes you queasy?”

Katniss gave a short, abrupt laugh. “That’s different. I’m used to it. It’s practical. Besides, it’s animals…not that I hate animals, but they aren’t people.”

“True.”

“And it’s not like seeing someone get beheaded…”

Speaking of which…

She’d just reminded herself of what was going on…

Katniss swallowed. “Eughh, I think I’m gonna puke…”

Peeta stiffened up in his seat. “Uh, maybe you should go to the bathroom?”

“No,” Katniss closed her eyes and took a slow, steadying breath. “I can make it.” She opened her eyes and met Peeta’s. They were so very blue. A flash of light hit them just then, and they practically sparkled.

“Squeeze my arm,” he suggested.

Katniss didn’t hesitate to do so. Strange, considering she’d only just met him. But somehow, she felt like she’d known him for years. He did give off an old friend vibe, that is, an old friend you feel like…

She shook off the inappropriate thought and held onto him tighter. Her short nails were likely leaving crescent-shaped marks in his skin. No doubt he’d leave with a reminder of her that’d last several hours.

Gripping Peeta’s arm was like gripping a steel rod, only warmer and softer. He had a light dusting of fuzzy, blond hair, she noted as the sick sensation began to dissipate.

Peeta started talking again, and to her great surprise, he placed a hand over hers on his arm. She didn’t pull away; instead, she found herself wondering what it would be like to hold hands with him throughout the movie…

Twenty minutes later, Katniss had calmed down. At least, in one way. She no longer felt sick, and the movie barely bothered her anymore, but she’d become all too focused upon Peeta. The air between them seemed charged, and she was fairly certain Peeta felt the attraction, too.

It didn’t help matters when the couple in front of them started making out…

Katniss scoffed. “How can people make out during this movie?”

Peeta leaned in ever so slightly. “Well, I might,” he whispered in a husky tone, “if I had a beautiful girlfriend who drove me crazy…” He nudged her with his elbow, and she straightened up in her seat but didn’t move away.

Then he subtly raised his long, sinewy arm, draping it across the back of her chair. It was subtle, and he wasn’t touching her, but it felt like he was making a move. If that wasn’t enough of an indication of his intentions, the look he was giving her was straddling the line between playfully flirtatious and smoldering.

His look combined with his earlier words hit her stomach and shot straight down, the heat pooling between her thighs.

“So, uh,” her eyes flitted away, “you don’t have one…?”

What the hell was she saying?!

“Nope.” He rotated his body toward her, resting the hand that wasn’t around her chair on his knee. “Open to suggestions, though, if you know anyone willing to volunteer…” He winked at her.

Even Katniss got his meaning, as clueless as she was about relationships. This guy sure was forward. But she wasn’t hating it…

Just freaking out a little inside…

“Um, I could…ask around maybe.” She chickened out.

Peeta cleared his throat. “Oh. Uh, thanks.” He sat up, then, removing his arm from around her chair and giving her plenty of space.

Well, she screwed that up pretty quickly.

Peeta was quiet for a while after that. She kept glancing over, trying to gauge what he was thinking. He might be disappointed, but he didn’t seem bitter about it. And really, what could he have been expecting? They just met two hours ago.

On that note, the movie came to its climax, and Peeta was nice enough to let her grab his arm again. He didn’t try to hold her hand, but he did give hers a friendly pat before retracting his.

Peeta pressed his lips together. “Nice to meet you, Katniss. Congratulations on the bet.” He moved to stand, giving her a lingering look before turning his back on her.

* * *

When the movie ended, Peeta turned toward her. He opened his mouth but said nothing. Clearly, he was waiting for her to take the initiative. Her mouth felt like cotton; she couldn’t speak.

Katniss didn’t know what to do or what to say, exactly; all she knew was she couldn’t let him walk out of this theater and out of her life forever.

“Peeta, wait.”

He spun around.

On shaky legs, Katniss stood. “Um, do you…are you…busy right now?”

Peeta smiled brightly. “Not at all, Katniss.”

The corners of her lips turned up.

“To be honest,” he touched her shoulder, “I was really hoping you’d ask me something like that.”

Katniss smiled.

“What did you have in mind? Another movie?” he teased. Katniss rolled her eyes. “This time you can pick what you’d like to see.”

Katniss chuckled. “I think I’m all movie-d out for one night, thanks.” He nodded. “But…maybe another time.”

“Sounds good.” Peeta grinned. “How about we get something to eat, then? We can talk about the kinds of movies you might actually enjoy seeing.”

Katniss’s lips spread even wider. “Why not.”

They shuffled to the end of the aisle and descended the stairs. Once down, Peeta wrapped an arm around Katniss’s shoulder and led her through the exit of the now-empty theater. In the parking lot, Katniss reached into her pocket, only to realize her ticket stub was gone. She searched her others, but no luck.

“Oh crap! I dropped my stub!” Katniss huffed. “I was supposed to use that to prove I actually saw the movie.”

“I can vouch for you,” said Peeta, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I might have a thing or two to say to those friends of yours, anyway, torturing you like that. But I’ll be nice, don’t worry, because I actually owe them a huge thanks.”

Katniss bit down on her lip and gave Peeta a light shove. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her once more, leading her toward his car. She went along without question.

She could only imagine the ribbing she was going to get for bringing a guy over to meet her friends. And when she told them the story… Johanna would probably accuse her of making out the whole time rather than watching the movie. Like they were that couple in front of them; like it was such a romantic setting. Well, in a way it had been.

But Katniss wasn’t the type to do something like that, and her friends knew it. She also wasn’t the type to go off with a guy she just met…but somehow, she trusted Peeta. What a shock Johanna and Madge were in for!

As for the next trip to the cinema, it was anyone’s guess what would happen. She’d already learned how distracting Peeta could be in a movie, and she imagined he had other methods of distraction up his sleeve. She had the feeling the next movie was going to be even more difficult to get through…


End file.
